The Seascape
Newsletter of the CLCA
Central Coast Chapter
November/December 2020
Calendar of Events
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December 3, Thursday
Central Coast Chapter Board Meeting
Time: 12:00 noon, will be held as a virtual meeting
2021 Board Members will be announced. Contact Justin White for details at (831) 331-3476 or justin@kndlandscaping.com
December 12, Saturday
Central Coast Chapter Nomination Deadline for 2021 Board Positions
Chapter Board of Directors nominations are OPEN to the membership. Elections close December 12, 2020. Positions open: President, Secretary, Events Director, Legislation Director, Education Director. Please submit to Justin White justin@kndlandscaping.com
December 17, Thursday
Central Coast Fundraising Holiday Raffle & Happy Hour
Time: 5:30 pm, will be held as a virtual event via zoom
buy your raffle tickets by Dec. 11!
Central Coast CLCA members have come together to sponsor a raffle to benefit local charities in memory of Phil Reiker. All proceeds go to Pajaro Valley Fishes and Loaves, Second Harvest Food Bank, and San Lorenzo Valley Churches United. Follow the link below and purchase a registration ticket block for $20 and addition $5 tickets on specific raffle items. We’ll start with happy hour and then some words from Justin White, toast our new board for 2021 and have our raffle. There are great ticket items, thanks to our local donating companies, including a Toro mower, pallet of Bolero sod, 2000’ of TLDL tubing and two control zone kits, Dewalt Drill Set, and trash container and drip tubing. Link here to scroll down, see raffle items, and register for the event. Event registration is $20, which gets you your first four tickets Any additional tickets are $5 each and can be placed on any items. (John suggests that you purchase tickets in $20 blocks.) Contact Justin White for details at (831) 331-3476 or justin@kndlandscaping.com
January 7, Thursday
Central Coast Chapter Board Meeting
Time: 12:00 noon, will be held as a virtual meeting
Contact Justin White for details at (831) 331-3476 or justin@kndlandscaping.com
Sign Up/Renew Partners for Success Program Support for 2021.
Do this before Dec. 31 and be eligible for a free golf event in the Spring!
It matters now even more than before. Sign Up/Renew Partners for Success 2021.
** Our new Beautification Awards Banquet has been postponed until June 25, 2021 due to difficulty scheduling around the COVID virus**
** Our Suppliers Night Event has been postponed until March, 2021 due to difficulty scheduling around the COVID virus**
November/December 2020 President’s Message
by Justin White, Chapter President, K&D Landscaping Company
2020 - What a Year!
2020 has thrown us some curve balls and the entire landscape industry has had to adapt. Instead of recapping all of the bizarre and brutal events of 2020, I want to highlight some of our many wins over the year.
Our board. Without missing a beat, our entire board moved remote and continued to focus on supporting our membership. We began hosting our board meetings through Zoom and even though everyone was struggling to keep their own company heading in the right direction, the board came together each month to discuss how to pivot, adapt and create.
Our newsletters. These newsletters seem automatic at times, but the amount of work that goes on behind the scenes is extensive. Our wonderful editor Elise is the master conductor. She pushes us to get content (and makes it look great), She’s always keeping us in line. Craig is always coming through with excellent Partner’s Corner write-ups, Katia is helping to make sure our event and membership info is updated, and so many others contribute to make the newsletter what it is.
Website. If you haven’t visited it lately, take a gander. Our website master Ki keeps the website looking fresh and updated. It’s our go-to place where we post all the current and most up-to-date information from the Central Coast CLCA chapter. This was a critical cog in the machine that kept us all informed during the first few months of isolation and confusion during Covid.
Continued education and resources. The CLCA offered many resources and advice throughout Covid helping us navigate through the noise. In-person training went virtual; associate members stepped up to offer online training for free and we had lawyers available to talk about PPP loans and the new laws that were being passed.
One of my favorite parts of this year was the weekly conference calls held for all of us dealing with the front lines of the shutdown. We would swap stories of run-ins with the Sheriff, how to handle crews riding in trucks together, if we could even send our crews out into the world, and simply how to stay sane through all of this. For me personally, this was something I looked forward to. An hour where I could talk to folks going through the same thing I was and we could solve problems as a team. It helped show the community that the landscape industry was aligned on safety and sanitation.
We got back to work. The state CLCA board and staffers got in front of state legislators and decision-makers to get landscaping approved as one of the very first businesses to open back up after the two-week lock down. It wasn’t an accident that landscapers were called out as safe to reopen under limited operations and much of that had to do with the CLCA team.
The annual golf tournament. We held a socially distant and safe tournament that was a huge success. We were able to raise money for those affected by the CZU fires while getting to see some of our old friends. We are planning two golf tournaments next year so stay up to date with details by reading the newsletter!
Our industry is taking off. With fewer people traveling and more employees stuck at home, outdoor living is ramping up. More people than ever decided they wanted to renovate or re-landscape their outdoor spaces this year. Most of the companies I have spoken with over the last few months are as busy as they have ever been and the momentum looks like it will continue into 2021. Although there have been many setbacks in 2020, I think we all need to look for those silver linings and be grateful for what has come out of it.
For the first time ever the State CLCA awards were held virtually. Contestants were tasked with filming their projects and supplying the judges with pictures. Although there was some early concern about participation the event drew a large number of entries and the competition was fierce! The Central Coast Chapter was well represented by first place winners Coastal Evergreen and K&D Landscaping. I want to give a huge shout out to my entire team at K&D for all the amazing work they do!
We will be wrapping up this year with an amazing raffle to raise money for local charities. 100% of the proceeds from the raffle will be donated in Phil Reiker’s name to the Pajaro Valley Fishes and Loaves, Second Harvest Food Bank, and San Lorenzo Valley Churches United for aid in the fire damages of the SLV area. Make sure you load up on tickets, there are some great prizes!
What does next year have in store for us? Will there be a vaccine? Will there be herd immunity? Will something else happen?... Though we can’t predict how 2021 will pan out, what we can do is make plans for an exciting year ahead. We will have two golf tournaments and those partners who renew with us will receive a free entry into the (first ever) Spring Tournament. We have our Annual Suppliers Night planned to be held outdoors at the Seascape Golf Course. Our Annual Beautification Awards Banquet is reserved for the Dream Inn. We have many more events on the calendar for next year so keep your hopes high our community and country will come together to beat this Covid-19 pandemic.
I am looking forward to another year serving as your President. I hope to transition this honor to someone new in 2022, and I plan to continue to play an active role in our chapter’s continued success. We have all grown more than we expected this year and although we may physically be further apart, I think it has brought us closer together than we ever have been. I wish you all a wonderful holiday season as we close out the rest of this year and I am excited to see you all at the Happy Hour on December 17th!
To your success,
Justin White
CEO, K&D Landscaping Inc.
justin@kndkandscaping.com
C: (831) 331-3476 │ O: (831) 728-4018
2020 Central Coast Chapter Partners for Success Program
There has never been a better time to support Central Coast’s Partners for Success Program. Joining provides an opportunity to increase your visibility in the community, to be seen as a leader in the green industry by helping sustain the many educational and enrichment offerings of our association. For more information, contact Justin White justin@kndkandscaping.com. Or, better still, go directly to our online registration! Join us!
IN 2021 we will be giving one free golf game to all renewing members who renew and pay by January 30, 2021!
PaRTNERS CORNER
Terri Baker of Graniterock
This month Terri Baker is featured in our “Partner’s Corner.” Read more here.
Central Coast online event
2020 Holiday Happy Hour & Charity Raffle
RAFFLE MANIA—DECEMBER 17th 2020 at 5:30 p.m. register & buy tickets by December 11!
Central Coast Chapter Gang,
We’re hosting a raffle to benefit local charities, just before the holidays. All donations will go to three local food banks—Pajaro Valley Loaves and Fishes, Second Harvest Food Bank, & San Lorenzo Valley Churches United—in memory of long-time chapter member Phil Reiker. It’s been a tough year for so many in our community—we think we can help makes things a little better.
So many of our suppliers are donating great prizes to raffle off. $5 for every ticket, you’ll be able to place them on your favorite items. $20 is the registration fee and includes your first four tickets. After that purchase more tickets at $5 each and up your chances to get your favorite item as well as helping local charities. It’s a win-win for sure. All payments will happen online, and be handled by credit card or paypal. You must buy your tickets ahead of time by December 11th! Follow the links below to purchase.
The Zoom URL will be given to you at the time you register. Easy and fun, a chance to see each other one more time in 2020!
Preview of Items: scroll down…
Happy Hour starts at 5:30 pm, December 17th 2020. SAVE THE DATE.
I’ll see you there, Cabernet in hand. It’ll be nice to see all your smiling faces.
Cheers,
John David, Life Member and Chapter Photographer
Raffle Item #1: HONDA PUsh Mower
raffle item #2: One Pallet of your choice of sod. 90% Bolero Dwarf Fescue/10% Bluegrass OR Bolero 90/10 Fescue Blend/10% Bluegrass.
Raffle Item #3: 2000’ techline dripline & Two CONTROL Valves
Raffle Item #4: Trash container and 1,000’ of drip tubing
Raffle Item #5: dewalt drill set
See items below. For more description click on the item… note the raffle numbers and purchases tickets towards your favorite items!
There will also be two surprise raffle items, not pictured here, that anyone who participates can win!
Central Coast remembers
Phil Reiker, We Will Miss You!
Phil on an adventure in Costa Rica with the boys.
Phil Reiker – Thoughts
Longtime Central Coast Chapter member passed on September 3, 2020 with his loving family at his side. He died of cancer at 64 years old. Phil worked in the turf, irrigation, and landscape industry for nearly forty years. He put all his experiences together and formed Jet Mulch in 1996. His company was a major success, based on Phil’s friendly, endearing style. The company will continue on with the “family” of employees he trained over all those years.
For those who knew Phil, he was always willing to help. He was around in those early chapter days supporting us from the different companies where he worked. As a contractor, he was able to keep in close contact with all the people he became friends with in those earlier years. Over the years he offered his time, his employees and his products for many volunteer projects.
Phil came to California from Colorado, but the ‘country’ remained a big part of his life. He and his wife Sherry had horses and animals on their large ‘ranch’ in La Selva. Phil was an outdoorsman, often planning excursions, hikes, and travel. When the annual Banff Film Festival came up, Phil bought lots of tickets to invite others, introducing them to his scenic, fun outdoor world.
Phil was a cheerful soul, being known for that grand, radiant smile. His wife, daughter Sally and son Eric will miss him most, but we all will miss him and his upbeat persona.
We will all look back with fondness, feeling lucky to have known such a stand-up gentleman.
Donations can be made in his name to Pajaro Valley Loaves and Fishes and Doctors Without Borders.
Thank you John David for doing a great job of capturing the spirit of our dear friend Phil.
especially for CLCA Members
Links for Current Covid-19 Information
Helpful county-specific links for Covid-19 updates here:
Alameda County information here.
Contra CostA County information here.
Marin county information here.
San Benito County information here.
San Francisco bay AREA Information here.
San Mateo County information here.
Santa Clara County information here.
Santa Cruz County information here.
Advertise in the Central Coast Seascape Newsletter!
THis is a great time to show your support for the central Coast CLCA and promote your business. Advertise in this newsletter! Reach your target audience monthly. Sign up for large, medium, or small ads. For specs and pricing contact: clcaccc.editor@gmail.com. OR sign up online here.
Board Meeting Minutes
Central Coast Chapter CLCA Board Meeting November 5, 2020
Justin White, John David, Katia Velasquez, Gregory Miller, Cathy Quinn, Elise Huffman. Zoom meeting started at 12:00
Treasurer Updates
• 2020 Budget vs. Actual review
• 2021 Budget discussion
• 2021 Advertising push, update website and create links for registration, start making calls…
Cathy, Justin and Katia will meet online to go over the budget by the end of the month.
• Dream Inn is prepaid for 2021 Beautification Awards.
• State reimbursement from membership.
Membership Drive and Advertising
• How can we compensate Partners since we didn't have the usual events this year?
• Discussion about having a Springtime Golf Event and offer renewing Partners one free game if renew and pay by Jan. 30, 2021. Spring Hill was a good venue, successful event.
• New pricing for ads, for member, 15% less...to encourage advertising and say thank you for hanging on with us through 2020.
• We have about 30% of the advertising/membership that we hope to have.
• Elise is setting up the 2021 Partners for Success and Advertising in the Newsletter pages and registration forms in Constant Contact.
Community Event
• Virtual Holiday Event ideas?
John David suggests raffle event for local charities. Perhaps in Phil Reiker's name? Zoom format happy hour (start 5:30 p.m.)and raffle of about 5 large items donated by Central Coast Chapter businesses. John David suggests the Phil Reiker charities, Loaves and Fishes, Second Harvest, other ideas include Valley Churches and Pajaro Valley Food Bank. $5 tickets, $20 minimum (entry fee, 4 tickets) Elise will set up an "Event" in Constant Contact, landing page and form to buy tickets...Craig S, John, and Justin will make some calls for items to raffle off. Commit items by Nov. 12. Publish is newsletter on Nov. 16-17 advertise event...send out eblast...Dec. 11, cutoff for ticket purchase.
Membership Updates
• 2021 Board positions for 2021 and election process
present board member positions: Craig stays on as Associate Membership Director, Justin is asking Phil Dundas about being Education Director, Michael Johnson is stepping down. Elise suggests that we need a new Secretary, Justin has someone to ask.
Will post the Central Coast Election in the newsletter and have a budget review and vote next month on budget.
Meeting called to an end at 1:30